After missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, the Atlanta Falcons enter another offseason with more questions than answers. The team has 26 pending free agents and is near the bottom of the league (25th) in salary cap space.
Eating of a big chunk of that space is quarterback Matt Ryan’s $48 million cap hit, but not everyone agrees on what to do with the former MVP.
The Falcons could offer Ryan an extension to create more room for free agency. Or, as some have speculated, Atlanta could attempt to trade Ryan to one of the many teams in need of a quarterback. This wouldn’t be easy, though, as ESPN examined in its offseason simulation feature.
Serving as the Falcons general manager, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein chose to stand pat with Ryan for 2022.